Precious Memories
by KHwhitelion
Summary: Saix/Ais x Aerith. Sent to a desolate world to look for new Nobodies, Saix's long-buried memories awaken, and he discovers he's been there before....


Saix walked down the empty alleyway, his cloak rustling as it collected bits and pieces of the dust and rubble lining the cracked ground beneath him. His gold eyes darted back and forth, scanning the area, searching for those who had lost their hearts. That was the mission given to all Organization members: visit various worlds looking for nobodies. Not the common dusk, however, but those, like himself, whose other had had a strong enough will, that their essence would remain behind, while their heart was engulfed in darkness. He cringed, remembering how horrible that feeling had fIrst been, the feeling of...nothing. Emptiness. He shook his head, recalling how it used to bother him so, to know he no longer existed, to realize from that point on, his sole purpose was to serve under the Superior in Organization XIII. Saix laughed. He had been so different back then, so paranoid and afraid. It was almost amusing, or at least, it would have been, had he any emotions.

As Saix continued his search, he was becoming increasingly aware that the barren city in which he treaded seemed vaguely familiar, though he couldn't say why. The hollow, windowless buildings, the wrecked highways, even the rusty poles unearthed from the ground all had a strange air about them. Almost as if...he stopped suddenly, train of thought almost causing him to trip. His boot had made contact with something hard, different from the broken gravel lining the city floors. Glancing down, he saw what appeared to be a large, rusty metallic slat, out of shape and covered in dust. Stooping over, Saix reached out with a gloved hand and picked up the piece of metal, curious. Judging by the discoloring and the amount of dust, the lunar diviner guessed it had been around for a very long time. _Perhaps there is a date inscribed somewhere_, he thought, rubbing away the filth with the sleeve of his cloak. As he had guessed, the board did contain writing of some kind, though faint. Squinting, Saix brought it to his face, in attempts to make out the faded letters.

"Wel-co-me t...0" He paused. 'Welcome to.' So it was a sign of some sort.  
Now intrigned, he continued to read.  
"Welcome to mi-d...gar. Welcome to Midgar."

He froze. Midgar. Why did that name sound so familiar? Was it somewhere he had looked up in the libraries in The World That Never Was? No, no. That didn't seem right. He would have been able to remember finding it in a book. He closed his eyes, wrapping his hand around his skull, trying to focus, trying to remember.  
At last, just when he felt his cranium would burst from the strain, Saix's golden pupils bolted open, and a single word formed on his lips. _Aerith_. 

**(Flashback)**

A young man with short blue hair ran through the busy streets of Midgar, excitement blazing in his golden eyes. The people in the crowds hollered a word or two of warning, telling him to slow down, but all the man did was pick up his pace. There was only one place he wanted to go, and only one person he wanted to see.

"Aerith! Hey Aerith!" He called, words heavily laden by hard raspy breaths. A young girl with long, braided brown hair ran from a brightly painted shop at the mention of her name.

"Ais!! Ais! Oh thank goodness it's you!!" She shrieked gleefully,racing up to him excitedly,"What's the word? Is it true what they're saying around here? That you're-"

He nodded, grinning broadly. "Yep! I passed the test! Starting today I'll be a full-fledged member of SOLDIER!" Though still catching his breath, Ais managed to stand somewhat, and tapped his chest proudly with his fist. Aerith smiled at him, running over to embrace her childhood friend. Aerith and Ais had known each other since they were small, ever since the day Aerith's adoptive mother had found the girl and taken her home. Both remembered how they used to hate each other bitterly, until the honeybee incident, that is.

Still hugging him, Aerith gazed up at the blue-haired man with her large green   
eyes."Do you remember?" She asked hopefully, loosening her grip around his waist. Ais only smiled. "Of course I did! Did you think because I was an honorary SOLDIER that I'd seriously forget _today_? Today's the day we became best friends!" 

Aerith's face lit up, "I'm so glad to hear that, Ais!" She squealed happily, engulfing him once more in her arms. Ais squeaked.

"U-um, Aerith?" He said weakly, "I-I can't breathe..."

She immediately released him. "Sorry," she said sheepishly, "Guess I got a little excited." She flashed him a look of suspicion. "You know," she said slowly, amusement dancing in her eyes; "You're not gonna be much use to SOLDIER if you can be defeated by someone like _me_." She laughed, and Ais flushed, slightly embarrassed. 

"Alright already," he whined in fake agitation, "let's go inside!" And, clasping his hand around her wrist, he attempted to drag Aerith into the brightly colored building she had previously emerged from.

A middle-aged woman stood in what appeared to be some type of kitchen, deeply fixated in the act of washing and drying various pale with dishes. Her graying hair was pulled back in a tight bun behind her head, and her slightly wrinkled face pursed in intense focus. Though it appeared nothing could break her from her concentration, the sharp and rather loud banging of a door instantly snapped her to attention. Dropping the plate she had been cleaning, the woman made her way out of the room and over to where the source of the noise was coming.

"Aerith," she called, walking towards what was known as 'the living room where the front door was located, "Aerith, honey, is that you?"   
From somewhere behind her a reply of "Ya, it's me, mom," was heard, and the older woman quickly spun around to face her daughter.

"Phew! I'm glad you're all right!"

The young brunette raised an eyebrow. "Um, Of course I'm all right," she said a bit confused, "why wouldn't I be?"

Her mother sighed. "Well, earlier, you bolted out the door so quickly you almost gave me a heart attack!" She reached out to her daughter, clasping her hands around her arms. "But, it looks like I was just overreacting."

Aerith rolled her eyes. "Mom! Please! Not in front of-"  
Ais just gave her a sympathetic smile, aware of what she was trying to say. "No, really, Aerith, I don't mind ifyour-"  
Aerith's mother popped her head up in recognition of his voice. Ais jumped, startled.

"Oh Ais!" he heard her say, as she released Aerith's arms to embrace him, "How long has it been since I've seen you? You look so grown up!"

The young man flinched this time, his eyes following her warily, "Er, thank you, ma'am. It's nice to see you too." Cautiously, he shifted to the side, wanting to avoid being crushed into yet another hug. Aerith giggled when she saw his expression, but being the kind of girl she was, stepped in front of her best friend in order to shield him.

"Mom," she said hastily, anxious to change the subject, "Did you hear? Ais made it! He's been accepted into SOLDIER!"

From behind Aerith, the blue-haired man cast another glance at the woman he was being 'protected' from. True, Aerith's mother cared greatly for him, but she had mixed feelings towards Shinra, the industry running SOLDIER, though he wasn't quite sure why. Thankfully, however, the middle-aged woman's face broke into a warm smile, and, resisting the urge to hug him, held out her hand to congratulate him.

"Well done, my boy!" she praised heartily, as the two shook hands, "I'm so very proud of you. A strapping young fellow like you is just the kind of person those people need in that program of theirs." She chuckled, clapping his shoulders. "But enough of this! Didn't you to make some arrangements for today?"  
Playfully, she pushed Ais towards her daughter, catching them both off-guard.   
"Well now! Don't let me get in the way!" she chimed, giving them a knowing look before heading back towards the kitchen. Ais and Aerith watched her go.

"You know," Ais said finally, after waiting for his friend's mother to resume washing dishes, "No matter how many times I come here, I never know quite what to make of your mother. And how many years has it been...?" He began counting on his fingers, in a mock-attempt to figure out just how long it was that he'd been visiting Aerith and her mother. She just laughed and gave him a friendly punch in the shoulder. "Since you were about five. Remember?"

He too, laughed. "As if I could forget! It's not everyday you get attacked by a swarm of bees on your first trip to a flower shop!" Indeed, as far as he could recall, the second floor of Aerith's home was a small but quaint flower shop. True, it was rather small, but in it, Ais had made some of his most precious memories. Heck, that's why the two of them got together on this day, everyday since they were about seven years old: so they always be reminded how important each was to the other.

"Hey, hey," Aerith cut in, interrupting his train ofthought, "Do you still remember the size of those bees? They were like HUGE!" At this, she held up her fingers, measuring the size ofthe insect, which was about two inches or so.  
Ais shook his head, holding up his own fingers. "Nah, I think they were more like this size." He challenged, measuring a length even longer than Aerith's.

She just looked at him and folded her arms. "Well, however big they were, they still gave us a run for our money!"

It was then she took his hand, and giving him a sincere grin said, "Shall we begin?" He nodded, and followed her out of the room.

Making their way out the front door and down the steps, Aerith and Ais traveled to the back of the house, walking briskly across Aerith's lawn, and stopping only when they reached an old, hollow tree. Once there, the blue haired man and his companion stopped, and exchanged glances.

"Ready?" Aerith asked, steadying her hand in front of the old tree.

Ais nodded once again, placing his own hand before the tree. "Yeah."  
On a silent count of three, they each placed a hand on an old piece of wood, not completely attached but lodged fIrmly in, and yanked as hard as they could. Working together, the two managed to remove the old plank, sending it flying a few yards back.

Now revealing an empty hollow, the two reached inside, searching for that one, precious object. After about a minute or so, their hands emerged triumphantly, grasping an old, deserted and very shabby beehive.

"Wow," Ais breathed, ignoring a small shiver down his spine, "all these years ... and it's still in good shape."

"I know," Aerith replied taking it from her friend and examining it. "Hard to believe we've kept this since that day, thirteen years ago." 

_Thirteen years ago_, Ais thought. _So that's how long it's been_. He still remembered vividly everything that had happened. He and his father went looking for a present for mother's day, and ended up in Aerith's mother's shop. Back then, he and Aerith didn't like each other at all: she thought he was a no good, spoiled child with an extreme lack of discipline, and he thought she was too perfect for her own good. However, he was very young at the time, and being so, rapidly lost attention to what his father was doing. Instead, he began roaming around the shop, seeing which types of flowers were there, and deciding which one smelled best. Of course, it was then he accidentally ran into Aerith, who, like himself, was very young. She had short hair then, tied in two low pigtail-braids, and wore a light pink sundress. He on the other hand, wore pale blue jeans and a white tee shirt, while his hair, still short then, was tatted and greasy.  
_It's funny_, he reflected, laughing to himself, _we both thought the other was so disgusting. It's a wonder we ever became so close_.

"This beehive sure brings back memories," Aerith said suddenly, handing the object to Ais, "look. You can still see the footprint your shoe made when you stepped on it." She pointed to a more dented area of the hive, which did, in fact, faintly resemble a shoe print.

Ais shuddered, giving it back to her. "I still can't get over the feeling of all those  
bees swarming up my legs, over my face-" 

"And _mine_."

"Yeah, yours too. Remember how they chased us?"

She nodded, setting the beehive down in front of them. "Uh-huh. All the way down the street and into that dark alleyway. 1 don't think I've ever been more scared since. I mean, here we are, a couple of kids, being hunted down by a mob of angry, vicious, stinging bugs, who just had their house smashed in." She rubbed her arms, shivering. "I still remember how much it hurt." Ais put an arm around her.

"So do I." He paused. "It's a good thing we finally lost them." 

Aerith looked up at him. "_Sure_. But, by that time, we were lost ourselves! How long was it that we stayed huddled up in that alleyway?"  
Ais scratched his head. "Gee, I dunno. At least an hour. Maybe more. You  
know..." He started, and then stopped.

"What?"

"Nothing. You've heard it before."

"Oh come on! Tell me anyway."

Ais' cheeks darkened in color as he let go of Aerith's arm. "I-I think we really became friends when you healed all those bee stings I got. I mean," he scratched his nose attentively, "You didn't have to. I wasn't very nice to you back then and-"

"Hey," she protested, pouting, "it wasn't just a one-sided thing. I wasn't nice to you either." She sighed then, resting her head on his shoulder. "It's amazing how fast thirteen years go by, isn't it?" She said dreamily, recalling events of the past.

"Yeah..." He too, was recalling his memories.

Apparently not finished, Aerith continued. "It's amusing, actually, you know?" Ais looked at her, gold eyes lazily rolling in her direction. "What?" 

"Every year it's the same thing-we do the same activity, exchange the same words. But for some reason," she turned, and wrapped her arms around him, "It never gets old."

"You're right," he replied, returning her embrace, "It doesn't."   
They stayed like that for some time, eyes unfocused, both remembering their childhood together, and only breaking apart when Aerith let go of him. "Ais?" She asked, still sincerely but with a slight hint of nervousness in her voice, "When you go off with Shinra...what'll happen to me? To us? To our tradition?" 

His gaze softening as he looked at her, Ais fell upon the grassy surface beneath him. "Not sure. I expect life in SOLDIER will be tough. But I'll come back. Every year. On this day. Don't worry."

The nervousness from before was gone as a feeling of affection and admiration welled in Aerith's chest as she leaned forward and lightly brushed Ais' lips with her own. The startled man flushed crimson, and his mouth fell open in awe.

"W - W -What was that for?" He asked shakily, staring at her. 

Aerith only smiled, her own cheeks slightly red. "For good luck." She answered,  
earnestly, getting to her feet. "Come on, let's head back."

"Okay..." He murmured, standing up and following her back into the house.

**(End Flashback)**

Saix's eyes stared, unfocused, at the rusty metal sign in his hand. Midgar, Shinra...Aerith. He had forgotten. Forgotten them all. _How_, he kept asking himself, _how could I have buried them all away_? Everything he had ever cherished, since he was a child, he had carried deep in his heart. Had that been it? When his other's heart tore from their body. Was that when he became so cold? So...so...for lack of a better word, _heartless_? _No_, he thought reaching up with a gloved hand to touch the 'X'-shaped scar on his face, _it was before that, far before_. When he was in SOLDIER.

Though unaware of it until this moment, Saix's experience aligned with Shinra changed the man he used to be. He had been at the top of his class, he recalled, aside from a man known as Sephiroth, and had been sent on missions of all kind.

It was here, in SOLDIER, that he had learned the true hardships in the world and the true torments of war, felt not only by himself, but by the countless innocent lives that were sacrifIced in order for others to complete their goals. Shinra's goals. _It was my fault_, he thought angrily, his free hand clenching into a fist, _I should have done something... but...I became so wrapped up in being part of SOLDIER, I didn't realize how far gone I was until it was too late_. His hand found its way up to his scar again, and he scowled. _That's why I never came back_, he thought sadly, shaking his head, _I couldn't face her. Not like this. Not as the man I'd become_... He trailed off, and his hand fell to his side, still consumed by thoughts of his past. Saix didn't even hear the opening of a darkness portal from behind, nor the quick clack clack made by boots on gravel.

"Yo, Saix." An unusually obnoxious voice called. The lunar diviner snapped from his memoirs, whirling around.

"_Axel_." He muttered coldly, glaring at the redhead, "What are you doing here?" He shrugged. "I was about to ask you the same question." 

Saix flinched. "Explain." He demanded.

"I will. Saix, you were supposed to report back hours ago! What's taking so long, huh? I mean how hard is it to scout out new Nobodies? Ya go to a world, ya look, la leave. Ya go to a world, ya look, ya leave. Ya-"

"AXEL!! SHUT _UP_!!" Saix suddenly roared, a wild look in his eyes. The pyro jumped, staggering back. 

"F-Fine." He snapped shakily. "Be that way. I set aside some time to carry out orders and this is the thanks I get." He held up his hand, now gaining his confidence back, and pointed a wary finger at the crazed man before him. "The Superior isn't happy, Saix, apd fze's the one who told me to come out here. Keep that in mind." And, spinning on his heel, number VIII in Organization XIII summoned a portal of darkness, stepped through, and was gone. Saix watched him go, his teeth grinding together. Is this the price he had to pay? To be stuck as a non-existent being without emotions? To be ruled under the iron fist ofthe Superior? He dropped the sign then, which up until this point, he had been holding tightly. "I see." He said to himself, casting one last look at the broken world he used to call home. _If this is what precious memories become_, he thought, summoning a portal, _then it is best they remain left behind_.


End file.
